Axon
TL;DR:
The complete package
Axon writes and sings songs in the Western herban cowboy tradition. A rich baritone voice and a signature guitar technique combine to render an authentic Americana performance. A half a century of performing experience, across a variety of genres, infuses a roots repertoire with elements of folk, blues, jazz, tonk and gospel, informed by a healthy reverence for the soundtrack of "the Sixties".
Compelling rich baritone vocals span a diversity of stylings including folk, blues, gospel, western and jazz
Signature guitar technique articulates a roots repertoire showcasing an arpeggiated fingerpicking technique
Superb songwriting, song selection and set sequencing transports the listener on a cinematic musical itinerary
Programming designed for listening/dining room applications, and opening for touring showroom acts
HMU:
530-898-0815
Bio:
The first thing you notice is the voice. The resonant baritone, vibrant with the timbre of seasoned oak, prompts you to ask “Who is that?”. He sounds familiar, but you can’t quite place it, as he croons like Sinatra one moment, yodels like Haggard in another, wails like Isbell on the bridge, and sticks the landing in Prine territory. And that’s just in the first chorus.
The fingerpicking on the classical guitar arrests your attention next. His signature technique blends tasty arpeggiated figures up and down the neck with ringing open strings, furnishing a foundation for the vocal. While the chord progressions fit comfortably within the familiar singer-songwriter folk genre, you detect stealth inflections of jazz, blues and soul voicings. Honkytonk, bluegrass and gospel changes light up the roots repertoire, incorporating licks collected from over a half century of performing.
Finally, stylish, literary lyrics regale the audience with good time crowd pleasers Just One More and You Never Know, while his wry stage commentary introduces rowdy, uptempo satires Game Of Life, I Don’t Wanna Feel Better and We Gotta Do This Again. Plot-driven narratives Between The River And The Rails, First Duty and character studies 21st Century Cowgirl, and Responder are blue collar screenplays in three choruses and a bridge. Unflinching portrayals of the darker corners of modern life in Free America, Seeking Comfort, and Turtle yield to redemptive ballads Dharma Waltz, The Way That It Goes, Saved The Best For Last, and the bluesy I’ve Had Enough.
Before you’ve even had the chance to fully appreciate the cinematic imagery and emotional payload of this musical Hero's Journey, the set is over and you find yourself humming along to a catchy earworm you don't want to forget.